I. Field
The following description relates generally to communications systems, and more particularly to configuring a host in a wireless communications system.
II. Background
Wireless networking systems have become a prevalent means to communicate with others worldwide. Wireless communication devices, such as cellular telephones, personal digital assistants, and the like have become smaller and more powerful in order to meet consumer needs and to improve portability and convenience. Consumers have become dependent upon these devices, demanding reliable service, expanded areas of coverage, additional services (e.g., web browsing capabilities), and continued reduction in size and cost of such devices.
A typical wireless communication network (e.g., employing frequency, time, and code division techniques) includes one or more base stations that provides coverage areas to subscribers as well as mobile (e.g., wireless) devices that can transmit and receive data within the coverage areas. A typical base station can simultaneously transmit multiple data streams to multiple devices for broadcast, multicast, and/or unicast services, wherein a data stream is a stream of data that can be of independent reception interest to a user device. A user device within the coverage area of that base station can be interested in receiving one, more than one or all the data streams carried by the composite stream. Likewise, a user device can transmit data to the base station or another user device.
To enable a wireless device to communicate within a wireless network, such device or a host associated therewith must be configured. In particular, in packet-switched networks, a host device (e.g., a mobile phone, a personal digital assistant, a laptop computer, . . . ) must be configured prior to enabling such device to utilize network services, wherein configuration can include receiving an appropriate IP address, for example. Conventionally, a host device is configured through communications made in accordance with the mobile IP protocol (MIP) between, for instance, a host device, an access node (e.g., base station), and a home agent. An over-the-air (OTA) link between the host device and the base station, however, may be constrained, and MIP can require transmission of a substantial amount of data over such link. Thus, a significant amount of resources associated with the OTA link may be utilized when a host is being configured, thereby reducing available resources with respect to other host devices in coverage area of an access node.